Production Companies War II

Last year was the year of war between production companies in the Arab World. Rotana, the biggest production company in the region, knocked out their main rival Alam El-Phan. First, Rotana signed Amr Diab in the biggest deal of its kind in the Arabic music industry, and then signed the rest of major artists who used to work with Alam El-Phan, such as Angham, Saber Al-Rubaie, and Mohammed Fouad. Later, Roatan purchased 60% of Alam El-Phan shares, and the war was practically over.

But with more than 100 artists, coupled with some bad management, Rotana was facing troubles, too. Many of their artists were complaining that they don't receive the attention and support they deserve from the company.

Recently, a new player has entered the market. Melody Music, a company owned by the well-known Egyptian businessman Nageeb Sawires, has called all Egyptian singers who have problems with Rotana to join them. The company, which has produced albums for some new comers such as Jad Choirie and Yara, has already signed with the Walid Tawfiq and Jwana Mallah, both from Leabanon. But the big news is that Kazem Al-Saher and Assi Al-Hellani are rumored to join the company soon.

At the end of their report (Arabic) on this subject, Al-Hayat newspaper was wondering if Rotana is paying enough attention to the changes in the market, and questions their ability to survive, even if they lost some of the major names on their list.